Cleveland Browns Should Not Lose Home Games To London Cleveland Browns Should Not Lose Home Games To London Comment Tottenham Hotspur made international headlines on July 8 with an announcement that had been coming for roughly four years once it was learned that the London Olympic Stadium would be the future home of West Ham United and not Spurs: The north London outfit is teaming up with the National Football League for the creation of a multipurpose sporting venue that will host Tottenham home matches and also a minimum of a pair of regular season NFL games per year. Cleveland Browns: Senior Bowl rosters finalized More headlines around FanSided: More News at Dawg Pound Daily This news should not have come as much of a surprise to those who follow the Premier League side known as Spurs and who are also fans of American football. Tottenham have taken numerous steps during the current decade to expand the brand of the club in North America, including making multiple visits to the United States and Canada and also embracing relationships with Major League Soccer clubs such as LA Galaxy and Toronto FC. Spurs needed a new state-of-the-art stadium, and the NFL wanted a home in England for games other than Wembley Stadium. This marriage was written in the stars long before it went public.

Fans of the Cleveland Browns understandably do not care that Tottenham and the NFL have become business partners. Those paying customers merely want to know how all of this will affect their lives in the future. While it is early days into the Tottenham-NFL relationship, the writing is seemingly on the wall that no fewer than five regular season NFL games – three at Wembley and two at the unnamed Tottenham ground – will occur in England every year beginning around 2018-19. That means that at least ten NFL teams will have to make treks overseas to play meaningful games at some point during the fall months. Nov 2, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine, owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Ray Farmer before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports The Browns will be playing a regular season game in England before 2020 rolls around. It is happening, Cleveland fans, so just embrace that reality and accept it for what it is. Over half of the league’s franchises have played in London since these games became schedule mainstays in 2007.

The Browns have been fortunate to avoid those match-ups, but the odds along with the math suggest that such good luck is about to run out for Cleveland. That reality on its own is not all that worrisome for fans of the Browns. So you may have to wake up a little bit earlier on one October Sunday morning to watch the Browns on television. Big deal. Heck, a Browns game that kicks off at 9 am Cleveland time means that local viewers who cannot get enough NFL on a fall Sunday could theoretically watch live football for over 12 hours on that particular day. That’s not a nuisance. That’s called “Football Christmas.” The concern had by some within the fan base of the Browns is that the team could lose a home game to either the Tottenham ground or to Wembley in the future. It appeared that those worries were put to bed when 92.3 The Fan Browns beat reporter Daryl Ruiter explained in a post uploaded to the radio station’s official website on Wednesday that the Browns are contractually obligated per the franchise’s lease with the city of Cleveland to play all regular season home games at the venue currently known as FirstEnergy Stadium. Done and dusted then, right?

More from Cleveland Browns 1/8 - Cleveland Browns: Defensive Shake Up Raises Questions Not quite. The official explanation for what could occur is somewhat complicated, but the summarized version is that the NFL front office, most notably Czar Commissioner Roger Goodell, runs the show regarding every franchise. It is not at all difficult to imagine a situation where Goodell and company create a new rule down the road as part of this Tottenham relationship that every team has to eventually host a home game at a London venue. Don’t even think about it, NFL. Not yet, at least. Unless you know nothing about the American football franchise and you somehow stumbled upon this piece because you were curious as to what the words “Tottenham” and “Browns” could have in common, you are probably well aware of the sad stats that have hovered over the Browns since the team returned as an active NFL franchise in 1999. The Browns have not had a winning season since 2007. Cleveland has yet to host a single playoff game since the resurrection of the franchise, and the Browns lost the team’s only postseason contest of the past 16 years; to hated rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Games held in Cleveland have been downright miserable for fans of the Browns over the years; and no, not just because of results such as: Winters have been downright brutal in Cleveland over the past several years, and those cold months feel as if they are lasting longer than ever. Any event that occurs at FirstEnergy Stadium in November and December that does not include snow and temperatures in the 20s if not colder is a gift from the football gods that did not inspire architects to put a roof on the venue all those years ago. Add in the bonus that the local economy, specifically downtown Cleveland, gets the badly-needed boost of thousands upon thousands of fans flocking to restaurants, bars and other businesses that are within walking distance of FirstEnergy whenever the Browns play there, and it really would be cruelly unnecessary to take away a home game from the team at any point in the foreseeable future. Browns fans have had to endure a lot since the team last won a championship in 1964. There have been losing teams, losing coaching staff, numerous regime changes – oh yeah – that whole thing about the franchise being moved from Cleveland to Baltimore in the 1990s all because Art Modell was a terrible businessman.

Let fans of the Browns attend as many important home regular season games per year as possible. Each one is a gift to those loyal customers. Sports Events 365 | Buy Cleveland Browns tickets online - 2016-2017 Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns play American football and are based in Cleveland, Ohio where they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The Browns play their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium,] with administrative offices and training facilities in Berea, Ohio. The Browns' official colors are brown, orange and white. They are unique among the 32 member franchises of the NFL in that they do not have a helmet logo. The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1945 by businessman Arthur B. McBride and Coach Paul Brown as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Cleveland Browns dominated the AAFC, compiling a 47–4–3 record in the league's four active seasons and winning its championship in each of them.

When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the National Football League along with the San Francisco 49ers and the original Baltimore Colts. The Browns won a championship in their inaugural NFL season, as well as in the 1954, 1955, and 1964 seasons. From 1965 to 1995, they made the playoffs 14 times, but have never won another championship or appeared in the Super Bowl. In 1995, owner Art Modell, who had purchased the Browns in 1961, announced plans to move the team to Baltimore, Maryland. The upshot was that Modell was allowed to establish the Baltimore Ravens as a new franchise while retaining the contracts of all Browns personnel. The Browns' intellectual property, including team name, logos, training facility, and history, were kept in trust and the franchise was regarded by the NFL as suspended. A new team would be established by 1999 either by expansion or relocation. The Browns were announced as an expansion team in 1998 and resumed play in 1999.

Since resuming operations in 1999, the Cleveland Browns have struggled to find success. They have had only two winning seasons in 2002 and in 2007, one playoff appearance in 2002, and no postseason wins. To date, the Brown's record since their NFL return is 87–185. The fans’ favorite Browns over the years have included running back Jim Brown recognized as the greatest Cleveland Browns player of all time and one of the greatest ever to play the game. Jim Brown turned the Cleveland Browns’ record books into his personal diary. He still holds dozens of team records, most notably the single-season rushing record (1,863 yards) and the franchise mark for yards in a career (12,312 yards). Otto Graham who played between 1946 and 1955 is arguably the greatest quarterback in Cleveland Browns’ history. He led the Browns to an unprecedented seven championships while compiling a 105-17-4 record in his ten seasons with the team. Lou Groza was a part time kicker and offensive lineman.

Known as Lou “The Toe” Groza demonstrated toughness and a dedication to the Browns that will never be matched. Since 2006, Sports Events is proud to be the most reliable ticket broker in the market, with our "Supply Guaranteed" policy. Every order is handled by one of our sales representatives to ensure the best customer-care possible. Don't wait! Buy your Cleveland Browns tickets from Sports Events 365 today. St. Louis Browns (1902-1953) St. Louis Browns 1954-Present Historical Moments: 1902: When the Milwaukee franchise moved to St. Louis in the American League's second Season, they lured several valuable players from the city's National League Cardinals, including 1901 batting champ Jesse Burkett, star shortstop Bobby Wallace, and the Cards three best pitchers. They also took on the Cardinals' discarded nickname, becoming the new St. Louis Browns. The Browns would go to finish a solid second place record of 78-58. 1903: The Browns second season was not quite as impressive, the team struggled all year and finished in sixth place with a 65-74 record.

1904: The Browns struggle again finishing in sixth place for the second straight year with a record of 65-87. 1905: The Browns narrowly avoid 100 losses finishing in last place for the first time with a record of 54-99. 1906: The Browns end a three year string of losing seasons with a 76-73 record, that was good enough only for fifth place. 1907: The Browns are unable to build off their winning season as they fall back down to sixth place posting a disappointing record of 69-83. 1908: For the first time since their first season the Browns are a factor in the American League Pennant race, finishing just six and half games out of first with an 83-69 record, which landed them in fourth Place. 1909: The Browns are unable to build of their solid season as they stumble all year falling back down into seventh place posting a record of 61-89 along the way, as Manager Jimmy McAleer is fired following the season.

1910: The Browns finish in Last Place again with a terrible 47-107 record. Over the years last place finishes, would become a regular occurrence. 1911: The Browns lose 107 games for the second season in a row and finishing dead last and 56 and half games out of first. 1912: The Browns escape the cellar by one game, but can't avoid their third consecutive season of more then 100 losses, with a 53-101 record. 1913: To try to build the struggling franchise into a winner Branch Rickey is hired to run the lowly Browns, for Rickey it his first job in Major League Baseball. Rickey's Browns would finish in last place with a 57-96 record. 1914: In Branch Rickey's first full season as Manager the Browns show slight improvement finishing in fifth place with a record of 71-82. 1915: The Browns continue to struggle finishing in sixth place with a terrible 63-91 record. Following the season Branch Rickey would leave the Managing to Fiedler Jones, to concentrate on the front office.

1916: The Browns end a string of seven straight losing seasons with a 79-75 record, but only mange to finish in 5th Place. However Browns management was not satisfied and Branch Rickey was fired. The firing would later back fire on the Browns when Rickey took over the rival St. Louis Cardinals. Rickey would turn Cards into one of the premier franchise in all of baseball. He would then go on after nearly a quarter century in St. Louis to run the Brooklyn Dodgers. He would transform the Dodgers into a perennial Pennant winner, and would also make history by signing Jackie Robinson. Meanwhile, the Browns would rarely contend and would become the worst franchise in the history of baseball. 1917: After a winning the season the Browns come crashing back to earth posting an awful 57-97 record while finishing in seventh place. 1918: The Browns continue to struggle going through three managers while finishing in fifth place with a 58-64 record. 1919: The Browns close out the decade by finishing in fifth Place with a 67-72 record. During the decade the Browns would never contend for a pennant, and would only post one winning season.

1920: George Sisler batted .407 and connected for 257 hits, a major league record that would last 84 years, to help move the Browns up to fourth Place, their highest finish since 1908. However, their record of 76-77 remained on the losing side. 1921: The Browns post their first winning season in five years with an 81-73 record, finishing in third Place. However, the team still finished 17 and half games out of first. 1922: The Browns have their finest season ever with a record of 93-61. The Browns as team led by George Sisler's sizzling .420 batting average; hit .313 to lead the league. Left fielder Ken Williams ran away with the RBI title and beat out Babe Ruth, who missed nearly a third of the season for the home run crown Sisler and Williams even finished one-two in American League stolen bases. Pitcher Urban Shocker won 24 wins, as he led a pitching staff that recorded the league's lowest ERA.

The team led the league in the standings throughout July and into August before the Yankees nudged ahead of them. The Browns hung close but didn't regain the lead, remaining second by a heartbreaking single game back at season's end. 1923: After two straight winning seasons the Browns return to their losing ways, finishing in fifth Place with a 74-78 record. 1924: With George Sisler now filling the role of player-manager the post their second straight 74-78 season finishing in fourth place. 1925: The Browns rebound after two losing season to finish in third Place with a solid 82-71 record. 1926: After a promising third place season the Browns stumble and fall again finishing in seventh place with a terrible 62-92 record. 1927: Under new Manager Dan Howley the Browns continue to be a resident of the second division finishing in seventh place with a record of 59-94. 1928: After two 90-loss seasons that landed them in seventh Place the Browns put together a solid season finishing in third Place with an 82-72 record.

1929: The Browns post their second straight winning season finishing in fourth place with a 79-73 record. 1930: After two seasons with a winning record the Browns return to their losing ways finishing in sixth place with a dreadful 64-90 record. 1931: The Browns legacy of losing continues as they finishing in fifth place with an awful record of 63-91. 1932: The Browns continue to be at the bottom of the American League finishing in sixth place with a 63-91 record. 1933: The Browns lose 96 games, on their way to finishing in last place again. The Browns by now were caught in a cruel trap. They needed to field a good team in order to draw fans, but they needed to draw fans to get the money to put together a good team. Since the team could never break out of the cycle, they were always poor, unsuccessful, and lonely. One of the Browns' 1933 games was played in the eerie silence of a park that was empty except for 33 paid customers.

1934: The Browns end a four year string of 90-loss season by posting a 67-85 record, which landed them in sixth Place. 1935: Competing for fans with a great Cardinals team known as the Gas House Gang, the Browns only draw 81,000 fans total for the season, on their way to a seventh place season with a 65-87 record. 1936: The Browns struggles continue as they finished in seventh place with a terrible 57-95 record that had them more then 40 games out of first place. 1937: The Browns finish ten games worse then anyone else in the American League with an awful 46-108 record. 1938: The Browns continue to play hideous baseball finishing in seventh place with an awful 65-97 record. 1939: The Browns hit a new low even for them losing a club worse 43-111 record finishing an incredible 64 and half games out of first Place. The teams pitching staff was mostly responsible for this compiling a team ERA of 6.01.

1940: In what would only be considered an improvement for them, the Browns post a record of 67-87 finishing in sixth place. 1941: The Browns hit accomplish the heady total of 70 wins for the first tine in a dozen years posting a record of 70-84 on the way to finishing in sixth place. 1942: The Browns post their first winning season in 13 years, by finishing in third Place with an 82-69 record. However, they still finished nearly 20 games out of first as the Cardinals won the World Series. 1943: The Browns are unable to make it two winning seasons in a row, finishing in sixth Place with a 72-80 record. 1944: With many of baseball's biggest stars off fighting in World War II, the Browns actually became contenders, for the first time in 23 years. The Browns would battle the Detroit Tigers all season for the AL Pennant, over taking them in the final week of the season for the American League Pennant with an 89-65 record. It would be the only pennant ever won by the St.

Louis Browns. In World Series the Browns face the Cardinals, who they share the city and Sportsmen's Park with. If the Browns were to win the series it would have gone along way into making in roads in the city's psyche. The Browns won the series opener on Denny Galehouse's strong pitching. Galehouse gave up seven hits and four walks, but held the Cards scoreless for eight and two thirds innings before yielding a run in the ninth. In Game 2 the Browns kicked and fumbled the ball around leading to two unearned runs, which aided the Cards to a 3-2 win in 11 innings. Two Brown errors led to a pair of unearned runs in Game 3, but Jack Kramer held the Cards scoreless apart from that, striking out ten. Meanwhile, Brown hitters tied together five singles with two out in the third inning for three runs, adding a fourth run on a wild pitch before the inning ended. In the seventh the Browns tacked on two more runs for a comfortable win and a 2-1 Series advantage.

The Browns lost Games Four and Five, as the Cards knocked three Brown pitchers for 12 hits in Game 4, then slamming Denny Galehouse for two solo homers in Game 5. In Game 6, errors would again doom the Browns again as Brown shortstop Vern Stephens' throwing error in the fourth inning led to three runs for the Cardinals. That was all the Cards needed to win the game and the series, as the Browns even in winning a pennant still could not beat the Cardinals. 1945: With World War II wrapping up, and many of baseball's best stars still in the military the search for talent to fill Major League Rosters was still going in all directions. One of those player's given the chance to play in Majors was Browns Outfield Pete Gray. When he was six years old, Gray hopped on a farmer's provision wagon, fell off, and caught his right arm in the spokes. The arm was mangled, and amputated above the elbow. Despite his handicap, Gray was determined to play baseball. Originally right- handed, he learned to bat, and throw left-handed. He had a superb batting eye and was a fast runner.

Gray mixed line drives with well executed bunts, some down the third-base line, others dragged past the pitcher. Gray's handicap hindered him more in the field than at bat. For a man with two arms, switching the ball from the glove hand to the throwing hand takes a fraction of a second. Any extension of that time would allow runners to take an extra base. With only one arm, Gray had to catch the ball with a glove on and throw it with the glove off. He managed this cleverly and deftly. Removing almost all the padding from his glove, Gray wore it on his fingertips with his little finger out. He would catch the ball, stick his glove under the stump of his right arm, draw the ball clear with his left hand, and throw it to the infield. Gray managed to impress several people in tryouts, and became such a story of inspiration that the War Department made movies about him for our troops. The Browns decided to give him a shot in 1945 partially because of gate attraction Gray's story had. Gray played 61 games in the outfield and was sent up to pinch- hit a dozen times. He batted .218 with six doubles and two triples, while stealing five bases.

Although admiring him for overcoming his handicap, they believed that the Browns lost a half-dozen to a dozen games that season because runners often were able to take an extra base while Gray fielded a ball. With the war ending and the stars coming home, Gray's career lasted just his one season. Coming off a trip to the World Series, the Browns contend for the Pennant again, finishing in third place, six games out of first with a solid 81-70 record. 1946: As the baseball's stars returned from World War II, the Browns returned to their losing ways finishing in seventh Place with a 66-88 record. 1947: Be it ever so humble there is no place like home, unfortunately home for the Browns seemed to be last place, and that's exactly where the Browns finished with a 59-95 record. 1948: The Browns continue to lose regularly finishing in sixth place with a 59-94 record. 1949: The Browns hit the century mark in losses again finishing in seventh place 44 games out of first, with a record of 53-101.

1950: The Browns continue to make an art form out of losing as they finish in seventh place with an awful record of 58-96. 1951: With the Browns franchise on life support, Bill Veeck who a few years earlier built the Cleveland Indians into a World Champion brought the struggling team. One of Veeck's first moves was signing of ageless Negro League star Satchel Paige. However, a month into Veeck's ownership there were no signs of improvement so Bill Veeck decided to find a unique way to bring his team notoriety. On August 18th in the second game of a Double Header against the Detroit Tigers, Veeck got his team some notoriety, and the most memorable moment in Browns history. Wearing uniform number 1/8 at a height of 3' 7" and weigh 65 pounds Eddie Gaedel stepped up to the plate pinch-hitting in the first inning. Gaedel a midget signed by Veeck to draw press attention to his team was snuck on the rosters without anyone noticing. When the Tigers protested Browns manager Zack Taylor furnished a valid contract with a date stamp.

Gaedel stood up and took his at-bat, Tiger pitcher Bob Cain was unable to find his strike zone, and Gaedel walked on four pitches. Gaedel was then lifted for a pinch runner, and the game resumed as normal. However, other baseball team owners were not amused and future Eddie Gaedel plate appearance were not allowed. The Browns would go on to finish the season in last place with a 52-102 record. 1952: With the Browns still struggling, Bill Veeck attempts to move the team to Los Angeles. However, since no other American League team played on the west coast travel would have been too much for the other teams to handle. In addition owners hated Veeck so any decision made buy allowing him to move his team had a tinge of spite to it, as the Browns finished in seventh Place with a 64-90 record. 1953: Prior to the season Beer magnate August A. Busch Jr. purchased the Cardinals. It was at this moment the Browns fate became sealed. The Cardinals have longed owned the city, and unlike the Browns had a glorious history of pennants and World Championships.

What was ironic is that Sportsman's Park, which belonged to the Browns. In 1920 after the Cardinals old stadium became unusable the Browns agreed to rent the Sportsman's Park to their rivals. The moved like most other moves in Browns history backfired, and the Browns became second class citizens, and by 1953 were virtually anonymous to fans in St. Louis. Bill Veeck seeing that the Busch family now owned the Cardinals began to make arrangements to once again move the Browns. The 1st move was selling the ballpark to the Cardinals, and the second was to sign a lease with the city of Baltimore. This time American League Owners could not use the excuse of excessive travel to reject the move. Instead owners flat out demanded the only way the move be allowed is for Veeck to sell his interest in the team. Veeck relented and the team was sold. On September 28th before a sparse crowd of 3,174 the Browns played their last game in St. Louis. Fittingly, the Browns lost giving them yet another last place season with a record of 54-100. What's in a Nickname?

The Origins of All 32 NFL Team Names | Mental Floss What's in a Nickname? The Origins of All 32 NFL Team Names Getty Images Like us on Facebook What do newspaper headline type and the New Deal have to do with the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles? Here are the stories behind the nicknames of the NFL’s 32 teams—and what they were almost called. ARIZONA CARDINALS Getty Images The franchise began play in Chicago in 1898 before moving to St. Louis in 1960 and Arizona in 1988. Team owner Chris O’Brien purchased used and faded maroon jerseys from the University of Chicago in 1901 and dubbed the color of his squad’s new outfits “cardinal red.” A nickname was born. The team adopted the cardinal bird as part of its logo as early as 1947 and first featured a cardinal head on its helmets in 1960. ATLANTA FALCONS Getty Images Shortly after insurance executive Rankin Smith brought professional football to Atlanta, a local radio station sponsored a contest to name the team.

Thirteen hundred people combined to suggest more than 500 names, including Peaches, Vibrants, Lancers, Confederates, Firebirds, and Thrashers. While several fans submitted the nickname Falcons, schoolteacher Julia Elliott of nearby Griffin was declared the winner of the contest for the reason she provided. “The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight,” Elliott wrote. “It never drops its prey. It is deadly and has great sporting tradition.” Elliott won four season tickets for three years and a football autographed by the entire 1966 inaugural team. BALTIMORE RAVENS Getty Images Ravens, a reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, beat out Americans and Marauders in a contest conducted by the Baltimore Sun. Poe died and is buried in Baltimore. Of the more than 33,000 voters in the Sun’s phone-in poll, more than 21,000 picked Ravens.

“It gives us a strong nickname that is not common to teams at any level, and it gives us one that means something historically to this community,” said team owner Art Modell, who had attempted to buy the Colts nickname back from the franchise that left Baltimore for Indianapolis in 1984. The Marauders nickname referenced a B-26 built during World War II by the Glenn L. Martin Company, a predecessor to Lockheed Martin that was based in Baltimore. Other names considered included the Railers, Bulldogs, Mustangs, and Steamers. BUFFALO BILLS Getty Images The Bills nickname was suggested as part of a fan contest in 1947 to rename Buffalo’s All-America Football Conference team, which was originally known as the Bisons. The Bills nickname referenced frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody and was selected over Bullets, Nickels, and Blue Devils. It helped that the team was owned by the president of Frontier Oil, James Breuil. Buffalo was without a team from 1950 to 1959, when owner Ralph Wilson acquired a franchise in the AFL. Wilson solicited potential nicknames from fans for his new franchise and ultimately chose Bills in homage to the city’s defunct AAFC team.

CAROLINA PANTHERS Getty Images Panthers team president Mark Richardson, the son of team owner Jerry Richardson, chose the Panthers nickname because "it's a name our family thought signifies what we thought a team should be—powerful, sleek and strong." Richardson also chose the 1995 expansion team’s color scheme of black, blue, and silver, a choice that initially came under scrutiny from NFL Properties representatives. According to one newspaper report, the concern was raised at the 1993 NFL meetings that a team nicknamed the Panthers that featured black in its color scheme would appeal to street gangs and reflect poorly on the league. CHICAGO BEARS Getty Images In 1921, the Decatur Staleys, a charter member of the American Professional Football Association, moved to Chicago and kept their nickname, a nod to the team’s sponsor, the Staley Starch Company. When star player George Halas purchased the team the following year, he decided to change the nickname. Chicago played its home games at Wrigley Field, home of baseball’s Cubs, and Halas opted to stick with the ursine theme.

CINCINNATI BENGALS Getty Images Team owner, general manager, and head coach Paul Brown nicknamed Cincinnati’s AFL expansion franchise the Bengals in 1968 in honor of the football team nicknamed the Bengals that played in the city from 1937-1942. According to Brown, the nickname “would provide a link with past professional football in Cincinnati.” Brown chose Bengals over the fans’ most popular suggestion, Buckeyes. CLEVELAND BROWNS Getty Images There’s some debate about whether Cleveland’s professional football franchise was named after its first coach and general manager, Paul Brown, or after boxer Joe Louis, who was nicknamed the “Brown Bomber.” Team owner Mickey McBride conducted a fan contest in 1945 and the most popular submission was Browns. According to one version of the story, Paul Brown vetoed the nickname and chose Panthers instead, but a local businessman informed the team that he owned the rights to the name Cleveland Panthers. Brown ultimately agreed to the use of his name and Browns stuck. DALLAS COWBOYS Getty Images The Cowboys, who began play in the NFL in 1960, were originally going to be nicknamed the Steers.

The team’s general manager, Texas E. Schramm, decided that having a castrated bovine as a mascot might subject the team to ridicule, so he decided to go with Rangers instead. But fearing that people would confuse the football team with the local minor league baseball team nicknamed the Rangers, Schramm finally changed the nickname to Cowboys shortly before the season began. DENVER BRONCOS Getty Images Denver was a charter member of the AFL in 1960 and Broncos, which was submitted along with a 25-word essay by Ward M. Vining, was the winning entry among 162 fans who responded in a name-the-team contest. A Denver team by the same name played in the Midwest Baseball League in 1921. DETROIT LIONS Getty Images Radio executive George A. Richards purchased and moved the Portsmouth Spartans to Detroit in 1934 and renamed the team the Lions. The nickname was likely derived from Detroit’s established baseball team, the Tigers, who won 101 games and the AL pennant that year.

As the team explained it, “The lion is the monarch of the jungle, and we hope to be the monarch of the league.” GREEN BAY PACKERS Getty Images Team founder Earl “Curly” Lambeau’s employer, the Indian Packing Company, sponsored Green Bay’s football team and provided equipment and access to the field. The Indian Packing Company became the Acme Packing Company and later folded, but the nickname stuck. HOUSTON TEXANS Getty Images Houston’s 2002 expansion franchise became the sixth professional football team nicknamed the Texans. The Dallas Texans were an Arena Football League team from 1990 to 1993 and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revived the team in 2000. He was planning to keep the old nickname, but ultimately renamed the team the Desperados. Houston owner Bob McNair chose Texans over Apollos and Stallions. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Getty Images The Baltimore Colts, a member of the All-America Football Conference from 1947-1950, were named in honor of the region’s history of horse breeding.

The name remained when a new franchise began play in 1953 and after the team relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Getty Images The Jaguars nickname was selected through a fan contest in 1991, 2 years before the city was officially awarded an expansion team and 4 years before the team would begin play. Other names considered included the Sharks and Stingrays. While Jaguars aren’t native to Jacksonville, the oldest living jaguar in North America was housed in the Jacksonville Zoo. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Getty Images The Chiefs began play in the AFL in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. When the team moved to Kansas City in 1963, owner Lamar Hunt changed the team’s name to the Chiefs after also considering Mules, Royals, and Stars. Hunt said the name was locally important because Native Americans had once lived in the area. Hunt may have also been swayed by Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle, whose nickname was The Chief. Bartle helped lure the team to Kansas City by promising Hunt that the city would meet certain attendance thresholds.

LOS ANGELES RAMS Getty Images The Rams, who originated in Cleveland in 1936 and spent 1946 through 1994 in the Los Angeles area before moving to St. Louis, are back in LA this season. The team traces their nickname to the college ranks. Principal owner Homer Marshman and general manager Damon “Buzz” Wetzel chose the nickname because Wetzel’s favorite football team had always been the Fordham Rams. Fordham—Vince Lombardi’s alma mater—was a powerhouse at the time. MIAMI DOLPHINS Getty Images A name-the-team contest drew nearly 20,000 entries and resulted in the nickname for the Miami franchise that entered the AFL as an expansion team in 1966. More than 600 fans suggested Dolphins, but Marjorie Swanson was declared the winner after correctly predicting a tie in the 1965 college football game between Miami and Notre Dame as part of a follow-up contest. Swanson, who won a lifetime season pass to Dolphins games, told reporters she consulted a Magic 8-Ball before predicting the score of the game.

Miami owner Joe Robbie was fond of the winning nickname because, as he put it, “The dolphin is one of the fastest and smartest creatures in the sea.” MINNESOTA VIKINGS Getty Images According to the Vikings’ website, Bert Rose, Minnesota’s general manager when it joined the NFL in 1961, recommended the nickname to the team’s Board of Directors because “it represented both an aggressive person with the will to win and the Nordic tradition in the northern Midwest.” The expansion franchise also became the first pro sports team to feature its home state, rather than a city, in the team name. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Getty Images Seventy-four fans suggested Patriots in the name-the-team contest that was conducted by the management group of Boston’s original AFL franchise in 1960. “Pat Patriot,” the cartoon of a Minuteman preparing to snap a football drawn by the Boston Globe’s Phil Bissell, was chosen as the team’s logo soon after. While the first part of the team’s name changed from Boston to New England in 1971, Patriots remained.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS Getty Images New Orleans was awarded an NFL franchise on All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1966. The nickname was a popular choice in a name-the-team contest sponsored by the New Orleans States-Item, which announced the news of the new franchise with the headline, “N.O. goes pro!” The nickname, chosen by team owner John Mecom, was a nod to the city’s jazz heritage and taken from the popular song, “When the Saints Go Marching In.” NEW YORK GIANTS Getty Images New York owner Tim Mara borrowed the Giants nickname from John McGraw’s National League baseball team, a common practice by football teams during an era when baseball was the nation’s preeminent team sport. NEW YORK JETS Getty Images Originally nicknamed the Titans, the team was renamed the Jets in 1963 after Sonny Werblin led an investment group that purchased the bankrupt franchise for $1 million. According to a contemporary New York Times story, the franchise considered calling itself the Dodgers, but nixed the idea after Major League Baseball didn’t like it.

Gothams also got some consideration, but the team didn’t like the idea of having it shortened to the Goths, because “you know they weren’t such nice people.” The last finalist to fall was the New York Borros, a pun on the city’s boroughs; the team worried that opposing fans would make the Borros-burros connection and derisively call the squad the jackasses. Eventually the team became the Jets since it was going to play in Shea Stadium, which is close to LaGuardia Airport. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the name was supposed to reflect the “modern approach of his team.” OAKLAND RAIDERS Getty Images Chet Soda, Oakland’s first general manager, sponsored a name-the-team contest in 1960. Helen A. Davis, an Oakland policewoman, submitted the winning entry, Señors, and was rewarded with a trip to the Bahamas. The nickname, an allusion to the old Spanish settlers of northern California, was ridiculed in the weeks that followed, and fans also claimed that the contest was fixed.

Scotty Stirling, a sportswriter for the Oakland Tribune who would later become the team’s general manager, provided another reason to abandon the nickname. “That’s no good,” Stirling said. “We don’t have the accent mark for the n in our headline type.” Responding to the backlash, Soda and the team’s other investors decided to change the team’s nickname to Raiders, which was a finalist in the contest along with Lakers. Philadelphia Eagles Getty Images In 1933, Bert Bell and Lud Wray purchased the bankrupt Frankford Yellowjackets. The new owners renamed the team the Eagles in honor of the symbol of the National Recovery Act, which was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. PITTSBURGH STEELERS Getty Images Pittsburgh’s football team shared the same nickname as the city’s baseball team, the Pirates, from 1933 to 1940. Before the 1940 season, owner Art Rooney held a rename-the-team contest. A change couldn’t hurt, as Pittsburgh had failed to post a winning season in its first 7 years. Joe Santoni, who worked in a mill for Pittsburgh Steel, was one of several fans who suggested Steelers.

Santoni received a pair of season tickets, which he would renew every year until his death in 2003. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Getty Images Team owner Barron Hilton sponsored a name-the-team contest and promised a trip to Mexico City to the winner in 1960. Gerald Courtney submitted “Chargers” and Hilton reportedly liked the name so much that he didn’t open another letter. There are varying accounts as to why Hilton chose Chargers for his franchise, which spent one year in Los Angeles before relocating to San Diego. According to one story, Hilton liked the name, in part, for its affiliation with his new Carte Blanche credit card. The owner also told reporters that he was fond of the “Charge!” bugle cry played at the Los Angeles Coliseum. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Getty Images The 49ers, who began play in the All-America Football Conference in 1946, were named after the settlers who ventured to the San Francisco area during the gold rush of 1849.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Getty Images There were 1,700 unique names among the more than 20,000 submitted in a name-the-team contest in 1975, including Skippers, Pioneers, Lumberjacks, and Seagulls. About 150 people suggested Seahawks. A Seattle minor league hockey team and Miami’s franchise in the All-America Football Conference both used the nickname in the 1950s. “Our new name suggests aggressiveness, reflects our soaring Northwest heritage, and belongs to no other major league team,” Seattle general manager John Thompson said. The Seahawks’ helmet design is a stylized head of an osprey, a fish-eating hawk of the Northwest. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Getty Images A panel of local sportswriters and representatives from the NFL expansion team, including owner Hugh F. Culverhouse, chose Buccaneers from an original list of more than 400 names in 1975. The nickname, which was a popular choice among fans in a name-the-team contest, was a nod to the pirates who raided Florida’s coasts during the 17th century.

TENNESSEE TITANS Getty Images After relocating from Houston to Tennessee in 1995, the team played two seasons as the Oilers before owner Bud Adams held a statewide contest to rename the team. Titans was chosen over nicknames such as Tornadoes, Copperheads, South Stars, and Wranglers. “We wanted a new nickname to reflect strength, leadership and other heroic qualities,'' Adams told reporters. WASHINGTON REDSKINS Getty Images One year after he acquired an NFL franchise in Boston, George Preston Marshall changed the team’s nickname from Braves to Redskins. According to most accounts, the nickname was meant to honor head coach and Native American William Henry “Lone Star” Dietz, though some question whether Dietz was a Native American. The Redskins kept their controversial nickname when they relocated to Washington, DC, in 1937. A version of this post originally appeared in 2010.

Question: In which US city do the American Football team known as the 'Browns' play their home games?
Answer: CLEVELAND